The government should make an effort to improve these institutions
KARACHI: The lack of fire safety in Karachi has become evident in the past few years. This problem was again highlighted by the fire at the Regents Plaza hotel on the 5th of December. This fire resulted in 11 people losing their lives and 75 getting injured. The lack of fire exits meant that Victims had to jump out of windows to save their lives, while some of the victims claim they were left helpless for hours. The hotel did have smoke detectors installed on each floor however none functioned properly.
Apart from this Karachi has experienced several other fire related disasters in the recent months such as the fire at the Keamari Oil Terminal which took over 30 hours to control and resulted in 2 laborers losing their lives.
Karachi has a population of 9.3 million while it only has 16 fire stations, however only 2 of the 16 fire stations are well equipped to combat large fires. For the safety of the population the government should focus on the development of the fire department. This would include the construction of more fire stations which are located close to the densely populated areas of Karachi. The fire department should be provided with a continuous water supply as on previous occasions the water shortages in the city served as a massive hurdle in combating fires.
Recently there has been an increase in the number of multistory buildings which in case of fire would have disastrous consequences if the correct facilities are not present. The authorities should take appropriate measures to ensure that the under-construction and finished projects alike have incorporated the basic fire-safety requirements, such as well-lit exits, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, on all floors.
This is a matter which should be treated as a priority and the government. Relevant federal and provincial government agencies, besides corporate bodies, should spare a sizeable portion of their budgets on regular basis buying equipment and machinery for tackling emergency situation in the city.
Apart from this the basic education regarding fire safety should be provided to the citizens through public service messages. The government should make an effort to improve these institutions before another disaster occurs and the image of the city further declines.
Waris Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2016.
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